Butte High volleyball grabs victory
The 2025 football season has seen the Butte High Bulldogs fall short on luck, to say the least.
Butte High cannot seem to get a break, a bounce or a call. That has resulted in a five-game losing streak, with all defeats coming in conference games. The latest loss was a 23-22 heartbreaker Friday night at Kalispell Flathead.
The last three Bulldog losses came by a total of 11 points.
Butte High is hoping to turn that around Thursday as the Bulldogs head to the biggest stage in the state — Missoula’s Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
The Bulldogs (1-6 overall, 0-5 conference) will take on Missoula Hellgate in 7 p.m. Western AA game on the University of Montana turf.
At 2-5 and 2-3, the Knights enter the game fresh off a huge victory. Hellgate senior quarterback Vince Paffhausen, whose father Todd quarterbacked the Bulldogs to the Class AA State championship game in 1987, had a hand in four touchdowns as the Knights thumped Helena Capital 35-14 in Missoula. The 6-foot, 180-pound Paffhausen passed for 139 yards and two TDs, and he ran 19 times for 131 yards and two scores.
He threw TD passes to senior Parker Link and sophomore Everett Roberts.
Paffhausen also grabbed one of three Hellgate interceptions in the win. Senior Sam Cohea and sophomore Will Petrino got the other two.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Knights, who were outscored 78-0 in back-to-back losses to Class AA powers Kalispell Glacier and Missoula Big Sky. Hellgate’s other win was a 24-17 victory at Flathead to kick off Western AA play.
The Bulldogs took a punch to the gut Friday. They battled back from a 16-0 hole to take a 22-16 lead into the fourth quarter. An hour-long lightning delay, though, zapped the momentum from the Dogs and gave it to the Braves.
Junior quarterback Raeder Grey passed for 193 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Bulldogs, who could only muster 42 yards rushing. Grey hit senior Hudson Luedtke 13 times for 80 yards.
That marked the third time in seven games that Luedtke reached double digits in receptions. He caught 15 passes for 177 yards in Butte’s 33-13 win at Billings Skyview Sept. 4. He grabbed 12 passes for 180 yards in the Bulldogs’ Oct. 3 35-28 home loss to Helena High.
Senior Kaleb Celli caught a touchdown pass before catching a pass and powering his way in for a 2-point conversion.
Rising sophomore Kodye Kjersten caught four passes, while senior Mitch Verlanic grabbed two and junior Brady Walsh caught one.
After a review of the film by coaches, Verlanic was credited with a team-best 17 tackles last week. That includes 10 solo tackles.
Senior Gunner Bushman had another huge game for the Bulldog defense, chalking up 12 tackles. Jaeger Hansen, who was bruised and battered, got in on 10 tackles. He went to the hospital and received six stitches above his eye after the game.
Kjersten is also a force on defense for Butte High. The defensive back picked off a pass and returned it 21 yards to set up a Bushman 1-yard touchdown run.
Seniors Bridger Brancamp and Jacob Galle got in on nine tackles apiece, while junior linebacker Finn Wortham registered seven and Luedtke got in on six.
The Bulldogs will be back at Naranche Stadium to close out the regular season next Friday night against Helena Capital.
BC streak snapped in Frenchtown
Butte Central ran into a buzzsaw, as they say, Friday night.
Nine different Frenchtown players carried the football as the Broncs rushed for 290 yards in a 49-7 Southwestern A win over the Maroons. (Boxscore)
The loss snapped Central’s four-game winning streak.The game was tied at 7 after the first quarter, but then the Broncs erupted in a game that was also delayed by lightning.
Jake Forthofer and Cole Johnson each ran for 83 yards in the win. Johnson scored a pair of touchdowns. Jordan Warner and Bailey Corette each punched in one.
Dawson Rodoni also passed for a pair of touchdowns, finding Jordan Warner and Cooper Michaud on scoring strikes.
The win lifted the Broncs to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in Southwestern A play. BC fell to 4-2 and 2-1.
The Frenchtown defense held BC to minus 30 yards rushing. Senior quarterback Ryan Peoples passed for 96 yards and a touchdown. His scoring strike went to classmate Jack Nagle.
Nagle joined GG Fantini with three receptions. Freshman Henly Mansanti caught two, while junior Joshua Sutton and sophomore Treigh Hollow each caught one.
On Monday, BC coaches named junior lineman Jack Nylund the Butte Central Player of the Week.
More than anything, the Maroons have proven to be a resilient bunch in 2025. They will look to bounce back as they hit the road again Friday to take on Hamilton in another Southwestern A game.
Hamilton enters the game at 5-1 and 2-1. These Broncs only lost to Frenchtown, dropping a 21-14 decision at home on Oct. 13. Hamilson doubled up Dillon 42-21 last week in Dillon.
Sophomore quarterback Cooper Weston had a huge game to lead Hamilton in Dillon. He passed for 239 and a touchdown. The TD was a 68-yard pass to junior Jude Wilmer. Weston also ran for three touchdowns.
The Maroons will be back on the Bob Green Field next week to close the regular season against Dillon.
Butte High spikes Eagles in 4
Butte High picked up a four-set win over Missoula Big Sky Tuesday night at the Ross J. Richardson Memorial Gymnasium.
The Bulldogs dropped the first set 25-22 before battling back to win the next three 25-22, 25-21 and 25-18. (Boxscore)
Senior Gracie Jonart had a monster night in the win. She spiked 20 kills and registered three blocks to lead the Bulldog attack. Junior Allie Becker added 11 kills, while junior Avery Barsness spiked eight. The Bulldogs also got five kills and three blocks from senior Audrey McClafferty.
Freshman Ellison Graham set 36 assists in the win, and senior Cadence Graham led the backcourt with 26 digs.
Jonart also had a strong game receiving, picking up 21 digs. Becker collected 17.
Junior Ellie Yates served three aces. Cadence Graham and Becker added two.
The Bulldogs dropped a three-set match to Missoula Hellgate Thursday at the Richardson Gym. The Knights left town with a 25-23, 25-21, 25-20 win. (Boxscore)
Eleanor Stockman and Cady Schneider each tallied 12 kills to lead Hellgate in the win.
Barsness killed 14 to lead Butte High. Ellison Graham, Becker and McClafferty followed with six, and Jonart killed five.
Becker’s 18 digs paced the back court. Cadence Graham added 15, and Ellison Grahm dug 10. The younger graham set 33 assists.
The Bulldogs will have a little bit of a break before their next action. They play Kalispell Flathead and Glacier next Thursday and Friday at the Richardson Gym.
Butte High will host Senior Night Oct. 28 when Helena High comes to town.
Bulldogs honors soccer seniors
Butte High’s soccer teams honored their senior and parents Thursday as the Bulldogs played host to Missoula Hellgate at Bulldog Memorial Stadium.
Hellgate won the boys’ match 7-0, and the Knights won the girls’ battle 10-0. Two days later, Butte High fell at Missoula Big Sky. The score of the boys’ game was 7-0, and Butte’s girls’ dropped a 6-1 decision.
Sophomore Katie Breitmeyer scored Butte’s lone goal.
The senior girls honored by the Bulldogs are Jessie Trudgeon, Peyton Liva, Mya Murphy, Jessica Blow, Chloe Salusso, Lydia Revenaugh and Mattie Stepan.
Seniors on the boys’ team are Ziggy Okrusch, Obi Breeton, Josh Liston, Tino Riojas, Josh Schrader, Philip Russo, Jaxon Jonart, Cohen Andrews, Kyler Carpenter and Ben McAdams.
The Butte High teams will close the regular season Friday at home against Kalispell Glacier. The boys play at 1 p.m., and the girls follow at 3.
Only the top six teams in each conference advance to the Class AA playoffs.
Rams win Blocktober title
Billings Central was the last team standing at Butte Central’s annual Blocktober Classic volleyball tournament, which was played Friday and Saturday at the Maroon Activities Center.
The rams beat Havre 25-16, 25-19 in the championship match.
Dillon bested Anaconda 25-18, 23-25, 15-4 to win the consolation bracket.
Butte Central went 1-6 in Pool C play. The Maroons fell 25-17 to Anaconda, 25-13 to Billings Central, 25-14 to Havre, 25-17 to Lewistown, 25-14 to Hardin and 25-19 to Polson. Central knocked off Libby 25-16.
The Maroons played in the Copper bracket following pool play, bowing out in two matches. BC dropped a 25-15, 25-21 battle to Stevensville before losing out with a 10-25, 25-10, 15-12 battle with Libby.
After the busy weekend, the Maroons played at home Tuesday night, dropping a 25-20, 25-16, 25-10 match to Stevensville at the MAC.
The Maroons will play at Corvallis on Saturday before hitting the road again next Tuesday to play Frenchtown.
Central’s last home match is set for Oct. 25 when Hamilton comes to town for Senior Day at the MAC.
BC runs at Mission Shadows Duels
Two Butte Central varsity runners competed at the Mission Shadows Duals Saturday at the Silver Fox Golf Course in Pablo. (Results)
The race came two days after they competed in the Capital City 7 of 7 races in Helena.
Junior Jack Holmes finished the 5-kilometer race in 23 minutes, 55 seconds to lead the Maroons. Eighth grader Roman Terry finished in 25:08.
John Jermyn of Plans won the race in 16:03. Teammate Cord Greer took second in 1632, and Polson’s David DiGiallonardo took third in 16:39.
Polson runners Morgan and Quinn Delaney led the girls’ field. Morgan, a junior, finished in 18:54, while Quinn, a freshman, crossed in 19:35. Libby’s Capri Farmer placed third in 19:40.
The Maroons will run at the Western A Classic Friday in Hamilton. Butte High’s runners will compete with Bozeman and Belgrade Thursday at the Cottonwood Hills Golf Club in Bozeman.
Both Butte squads will compete at the MHSA State meet Oct. 25 in Missoula.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 